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25 Ill. 489

Short v. Johnson

Illinois Supreme Court

Decided April 15, 1861

Illinois Supreme Court · decided 1861-04-15

The bill in this case charges that James Bloomer died November 27,1850; that his widow Semele was appointed administratrix, November 30, 1850; that she so acted till December 23,1851, when she resigned, and the County Court accepted her resignation; that on the 23rd of February, 1852, the complainant, James L. Johnson, was appointed administrator de bonis non, and so remained until filing of the bill.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1861-04-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 3 later decisions — most recently September 1897

2 state decisions

101861187018801890decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Breese, J.

¶1We do not perceive any valid ground of complaint set up in the bill filed in this cause. The appellant, whilst she was the administratrix on the estate of her deceased husband, had full power and competent authority to settle the claim against McFarland, or any other debtor to the estate, and if she acted in good faith, she cannot be called in question for it by a subsequent administrator. Her act, in this regard,-has been adjudicated upon by the court of probate, and approved, and a full settlement of her administration made with that court, and her resignation of the trust accepted and she fully dicharged. This constitutes res judicata, and is binding until set aside. If, however, she appropriated the proceeds of this debt adjusted with McFarland to her own use, she would be chargeable with a devastavit, in which the administrator de bonis non would have no interest. Creditors of the estate might call her to account, but not this complainant. She has administered so much of the estate, and it cannot now be said to be estate unadministered. An administrator de bonis non can take charge and administer only such estate as is not administered by the first administrator. See Stose v. The People, post.

¶2We see no ground upon which to sustain the decree, and accordingly reverse it, and direct that the bill be dismissed.

¶3Decree reversed.

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